


Date

by Aidaran, StarTravel



Series: Five Valentines [2]
Category: Star Trek, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Genre: Awkward Flirting, Books, First Dates, Friends to Lovers, Literature, M/M, Sassy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-13
Updated: 2020-02-13
Packaged: 2021-02-28 06:48:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,302
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22699675
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aidaran/pseuds/Aidaran, https://archiveofourown.org/users/StarTravel/pseuds/StarTravel
Summary: Julian knows he shouldn't discuss with people during dates. That it is rude, annoying even. But it seems Garak doesn't know that.-------"It was a bit... Fast paced, I'm afraid. It made my head hurt."“Well, I can see how that could be the case if all of Cardassia’s novels are this slow.” Julian snapped before he could stop himself, shaking his head in dismay as he remembered each agonizing page.
Relationships: Julian Bashir/Elim Garak
Series: Five Valentines [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1631692
Comments: 5
Kudos: 85





	Date

**Author's Note:**

> Woohoo, we're managing to keep our schedules! One story let day, until we finish this series of five.

Julian wondered if it was a Cardassian custom to give the most boring book to a prospective date, or if that was just Garak. Because that book had put him to sleep 3 nights straight. He supposed he should thank him for the help with his insomnia. 

Julian went to the replimat feeling quite cross, given that he had given Garak one of his favorite books. Garak was already sitting, frowning at the padd in front of him as though it had done something to offend him. Julian sat across from him, smiling brightly. Clearly, it was obvious he had the superior literary taste.

“Garak! How did you like the novel?”

Garak just looked at him flatly.

“G - Garak? You didn’t like it?” Julian gasped in shock, eyes wide as he glanced down at the padd between them. But... It was the best spies novel he had ever read!

Garak looked at him apologetically, smile thin as he leaned in across the table to press a hand over Julian’s wrist. "It was a bit... Fast paced, I'm afraid. It made my head hurt."

“Well, I can see how that could be the case if all of Cardassia’s novels are this slow.” Julian snapped before he could stop himself, shaking his head in dismay as he remembered each agonizing page. 

Then he winced as his own words hit him. And to think he had promised himself not to do exactly what he was doing now, picking up a discussion.

"Slow? there's nothing wrong with letting the characters build, the story get deeper, the plot unravel."

“Of course not, but I spent seven pages reading about Molkar’s favorite breakfast tea.  _ Seven,  _ Garak. I think I have never read a more exact description of an egg in my entire life.” Garak raised an eyebrow at his words, expression carefully neutral. Still, Julian could swear he saw a sparkle in his eye. 

"It was important for the plot, which you'd have noticed if you were paying attention! It was a metaphor. Everything on that table had its counterpart later, in each member of his family. The double yolked egg was the dual treason his father committed."

Julian was surprised at his forcefulness, but then he noticed a... smile? Yes, something amused in Garak's tone made him think maybe there was something he was not quite catching on to yet. 

“Well, if  _ you _ ’d been paying attention, you’d have realized that the reason the pace moves so quickly is to create tension in the reader. To excite them, keep them waiting for more.” Julian let his voice grow acidic, eyes flashing with the thrill of a challenge. He shouldn’t do this — no one liked arguing as much as him.

"It moves so quickly everything ends up having the same weight, my dear. The action was all a blur." Garak got closer to him, and this time Julian was sure his eyes were shining. "A good book needs to build its world first, not start with an explosion and keep demolishing everything afterwards. It was hard to find which character was more valuable in that book."

“Because everything and everyone has the same weight, Garak.” Julian let his voice grow sharp, leaning in as his own eyes started to sparkle. He hoped they were on the same page. “All lives have the same importance.”

"But how can you care about a character if you can't get to know anything about him except that he likes going undercover while at the same time living with all the possible luxuries? I can't think of him as a real person. He’s absurd. Sybaritic, even."

Garak rolled his eyes, shaking his head as he turned his nose up, pulling a sharp laugh from Julian. “But that’s the whole point! It’s about the plot and the details and the way it reflects our ideals of manhood back to us.”

"That is a ridiculous concept of manhood, doctor. Certainly your Federation can't be so shallow that's the ideal you have."

Oh no. Now Garak had done it. The nerve of insulting James Bond! “What? Of course it is! He’s strong and brilliant, and he can charm anyone. He has a charisma and naturalness most men could only dream of.”

"He's also an irresponsible womanizer." Garak scoffed, waving his hand dismissively. 

“I — well — yes, being able to seduce is an important part of a spy’s work.” 

Garak snorted at that. “If you say so.”

Julian suddenly felt curious though, grinning as he slid his free hand over Garak’s. “And what is your ideal of manhood?”

"I think I'll keep that information for myself. But you seem to think you know a lot about spies." Now Garak's smile was wide, head cocked to one side as he took in the doctor, as if analyzing his every move.

“I happen to have studied the subject a bit. I haven’t met any, but I’ve always thought I’d be a good one.” He pulled his hands back and crossed his arms, trying to keep eye contact with Garak. He had no idea what they were doing but like hell he’d let the older man win.

"Why, because you want to have a lot of money and seduce women? Doctor, I'm appalled."

“No, of course not! We don’t even use money.”

"Then the women part is what you like?" Garak started to pull back slowly, the smile erased.

“I — no — or I meant — I don’t dislike that part exactly. I don’t, umm. I like men too. Or — your characters said romance didn’t even matter! You gave me the driest novel you could find!” Julian cried with wide eyes as he realized Garak was trying to throw him off his game. The nerve. 

"And yet if you had been paying attention, you'd had noticed he was lying."

“W — was he?”

"Oh, I thought it was plain to see."

“I ... I didn’t see it, I guess. So he did want to have sex with that young nurse he met!” He just blurted it out and several heads turned in the replimat to look at him. He’d been wondering about that part of the story, but couldn’t quite put the pieces together. He guessed cardassian morality and desires were still beyond his understanding.

"Oh, did he, now?" Garak's smile grew mysterious again, but there was no mistaking the sparkle of find amusement in his gaze.

“I think so... I mean, he did keep arguing with him. He picked apart all his ideals.”

"Perhaps, but don't you think you just expressed in the most crass, federation rude kind of way? There are so many different ways to describe what they wanted to do." Garak leaned in closer, daring Julian with the way he tilted his head toward him and pursed his lips.

“If I was being crude I would have just asked  _ you _ back to my quarters, after all this little verbal sparring we've been doing.”

Garak raised his eyeridges, leaning even closer. His voice was barely above a whisper when he spoke. "I thought we were talking about literature, and the intention of the characters."

“I — oh.” Julian looked flustered and swallowed quickly a few times quickly.. “Are we then?”

"I don't know, I think you just invited me to your quarters on our first date, which I assume is rather fast even for the Federation."

“Oh. I — I’m sorry.” Julian winced and looked down at his hands, feeling head start to rise in his chest. Now he'd done it.

"But maybe for a second date, though, I may accept."

Julian's head snapped back at that, taking in Garak’s teasing smile and the way his hand brushed against Julian’s on the table. Oh. “Oh. Would you, umm. Accept a second date, if it was on the table?”

"Of course. My quarters of yours?"

**Author's Note:**

> Comments and kudos are love!


End file.
